The religion of atheism

[fpb]

There is one tremendous and widespread mistake about atheism: that is, that it is not a religion - that it somehow even opposes religion. Many of us, including many Christians, accept this claim implicitly, using the nouns "atheism" and "religion" as opposites.

Comments

[stigandnasty919]

Interesting and as usual well-argued,however I always worry slightly about an argument where an opponent of a view allows themself to define it. Quite often they have not defined what the holders of the view believe, but what the person who opposes that view objects to in some of the proponants of the idea. Not necessarily the same thing. And that is what I think you have done here

[fpb]

I do not think you have rambled off the point, but I would say that once one adopts a central premise as true, or at least as the closest to truth that you can get, that central premise becomes itself a positive fact and force. The notion itself of the world of matter as the sole existing world has a whole series of consequences that cannot be dodged. Of course the reasons to reach that conclusion likewise remain active forces; one cannot undo one's past. I well remember one Greek friend of my sister's who informed me in one and the same breath that he was an atheist and that we Catholics, because of the Filioque clause, were nevertheless heretics! IN the same way that an Italian Catholic is not like an Irish Catholic and an Irish Catholic is not like an English Catholic from an old Recusant family, and yet they have so many essential points in common that it is quite natural and obvious to talk of a Catholic point of view

[stigandnasty919]

Just as soon as I figure out how too....

[fpb]

GEt the cursor to the bottom and then select all the empty area. It will appear in solid grey. Once you have all the area you want to get rid of, press delete.